Always the Competitor

The other day at lunch, the boys were asking all kinds of questions about my life's timeline (of course, they wouldn't call it that.)

Just a few of the questions were something along this line:
~ How old are you now?
~ How old were you when you got married?
~ How old were you when you had me?

So Andrew came the conclusion that, "I was your first baby and AJ was your second baby".

He then states to AJ, "If being born were a contest, I would have totally beat you!"

Things I Love Thursday: Tracfone Review

My Tracfone!

Seriously, I'm so glad we discovered it. Tracfones are prepaid phones where you buy minutes (which comes with airtime) as you need them. No contracts, no monthly bills, etc...

We got it while Marc was unemployed. I had a cell phone with a Big Name Carrier. I had the smallest plan possible which still ran about $35 a month. When Marc lost is work phone, he used my phone. Marc's cell phone is like a fifth limb to him. Plus he needed to make many long distance calls while job searching. It just made sense for him to have the phone, since I hardly use it anyway.

However, one weekend, I was going to take the boys out of town to visit family. Marc couldn't give up the phone since that number was out on all his resumes, and I didn't really want to leave the state with the boys and no phone. So we decided to pick up a prepaid phone. I'm so thankful we looked into them.

I got a phone for $20 at Walmart and it included "Double Minutes for Life". This seems to be the way to go. Whenever, I buy minutes, they will automatically be doubled for me. Plus, there are TONS of promotional codes online just waiting to be redeemed when you add your bought minutes.

For example, last Saturday I bought 60 minutes for $20. This doubled to 120 minutes. However, at checkout I had an option of "super-sizing" my order and adding another 60 minutes for only $10 (again, this doubled to 120 minutes). I then added a promo code for an additional free 50 minutes. So, I got 290 minutes for $30. This should last me 3-4 months or more.

This gives me freedom to use my phone when necessary (and not only for emergencies), yet should last me quite a while as I don't use it all that often. I did some math today and figured this phone costs me less than $12 a month. And that's without me feeling deprived of phone use.

Now, for even more good news. I can send or receive texts for only .3 minutes each. Three texts for less than one minute used! This is great when I just need to send a quick note to Marc like "I'm leaving now". This can make my minutes go even further.

Also, the service and coverage have been great. I have seen no difference between my previous Big Name Carrier and Tracfone.

There are a few downsides that I should mention. First of all, the phone I have is a cheap phone. It is very basic in it's options and not real "user friendly". But it does the basics that I need. Obviously, it sends and receives calls, it can text, it has voicemail (that I chose not to set-up since it also has caller ID; this saves me minutes not checking it), it has an alarm and a really rough-to-use calculator and phone book. These are no big deal to me.

You also eat a whole minute whether you use 4 seconds or 58 seconds. This might be normal cell phone practice though. It's also where texting comes in handy if you just need to sends a quick note.

Also, with this set-up... while I can use then phone whenever I need to without feeling guilty, I wouldn't use it to make personal calls just to "chat it up". I would save those calls for when I'm home. It probably would not be a good choice of phone for someone like Marc. But for me and my phone usage... the Tracfone, so far, as been the way to go.

Guess where we went tonight?

The boys got "Chocolate Chip" and I got Mint Chocolate Chip... all for $.99!

He can be sweet, too.

What you lookin' at?

Yo Ma. Dat PB sammy was off da hook!

What to do, what to do.

I took the boys to the Gardens on Friday. It was a busy day there and we had to park almost all the way in the back. As we were leaving, we were approached by a man carrying this plant.

He told me he had just finished a show at the Gardens and had this beautiful rosemary plant. He was leaving straight from there to go on vacation and wouldn't be able to take care of it. He then asked if I would like it. Okay, sure.

So, now I have this show quality rosemary plant in my home. The thing is... I have no idea what to do with a rosemary plant. I know rosemary is an herb/spice, but I don't know that I've ever used it. And if I have... I'm sure it was in the dried form... not the fresh form. And how do I care for this plant anyway just to keep it alive, let alone use it as a food product.

Help.

He joins the ranks with Gideon & Gabe!!

Video of Andrew riding his bike without training wheels.

Two words that kinda mean the same thing, but probably shouldn't be interchangable.

We are in the midst of potty training AJ. He is actually doing a great job with it. However, because the toilet sucks the water down, he constantly uses the work, "suck" instead of "flush", even after we have corrected him.

And it's just so funny hearing him talk about how he needs to "suck it" then wash his hands after he goes potty so he can get his M&M's.

Book Report: The Hunger Games

I stayed up way past my bedtime last night finishing The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, recommended to me by Amie .

Once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. Seriously. It was really good. Sort of "Lord of the Flies-esque", but don't let that scare you away. It was horrifying at times and yet gripping... that is... until I got to the end and it just stopped. Practically mid-thought.

How dare she?

I went to bed very angry at Ms. Suzanne. There is so much more of the story that needs to be told!! So I jump online today and realized that it is the first of a series. Phew. That's good news. The bad news is that the second book won't be released until September. I hate reading series like this. I would much rather wait until they are all out and read them back to back.

So, I may wait until the entire series is released in who-knows-how-many years and then re-read The Hunger Games all over before starting the rest. Then again... I might just be impatient and read it in September because.... I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!

Thanks a lot, Amie. (No, I mean it... seriously... thanks for the recommendation. I really did enjoy it.)

Twilight, Twilight, Twilight.

Want to know how to increase the activity to your blog substantially?

Use the words, "Book Report: Twilight". They're like magic traffic words.

You would not believe the hits I've gotten since reading those books and commenting on them. I'm am sure I am disappointing visitors when they merely reach this little ol' site dedicate to our little ol' family.

Sorry guys.